THe JOURNAL 



LIBl^ARY 

 NEW YORK 

 OF BOTANICAL 



QAKDEN. 



T'fie ©eparfmenf of Mgricufture. 



Vol. VII. Papt 11. lOth November, 1909. 



THE ADVANCE OF THE SILO IN THE LILYDALE 



DISTRICT. 



/. 5. McFadzean, Dairy Supervisor. 



Dairy -farming can be most profitably carried on under conditions whicli 

 allow of the stock obtaining a full supply of green fodder throughout 

 the whole year. Where pasture feeding alone is practised, the heaviest 

 milk yield from cows is during the spring when grass is most luxuriant. 

 The longer that growing season lasts the better is the flush of milk sus- 

 tained. As the grass dries the m'lk flow diminishes. 



By cultivating various fodder plants which mature at different seasons 

 the farmer is able to forestall in some degree the annual spring pasture 

 growth ; and also to extend his fodder growing season well into the summer 

 months. The term of the productiveness of his stock can thus be ex- 

 tended from early spring to late summer. Progressive dairy-farming, 

 however, does not stop here. There is little reason in allowing a good 

 spring and summer milk vield to be discounted in the year's estimate by 

 poor returns being obtained during the autumn and winter months. The 

 prudent dairy-farmer does not permit this to occur. 



The farmer who has failed to make adequate provision for the winter 

 feeding of his stock usually finds his milk supply rapidly diminishing at 

 that season. Unfortunately, the majority of dairymen are rather neglect- 

 ful in this respect ; and consequently they fail to obtain the full pos- 

 sible returns that their farms are capable of. This too general disregard 

 of the requirements of the stock results in a frequently recurrring scarcity 

 of fresh milk in the metropolis during the autumn and winter months. 

 The wholesale prices therefore range higher at those seasons. The farmer 

 who is in a position to guarantee a consistent supply of milk throughout 

 the year to a retailing dairyman is thus able to command a better average 

 price for all he can produce, on account of the importance of his winter 

 supplv. But if he has milk to sell only at the season when it is most 

 plentiful, he is offering his produce when the prices are lowest ; and he 

 gets but little consideration from the retailer. 



Very often a farmer does contract to supplv a regular daily quantitv of 

 milk to a retailer in the citv. Should an unfavourable season for grass 

 be then experienced, and he has failed to insure the production of his con- 

 tract quantity bv growing and conserving fodder for his stock, he will 



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